Summit County

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

13,339

94.38%

24,868

89.81%

Spanish

481

3.40%

2,057

7.43%

Other Indo-European*

270

1.91%

514

1.86%

Asian Language**

18

0.13%

194

0.70%

Other

25

0.18%

57

0.21%

Total Population Age 5+

14,133

100.00%

27,690

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

1,267

61.59%

Other Indo-European*

109

21.21%

Asian Language**

76

39.18%

Other Language

0

0.00%

Total

1,452

5.24%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

90

18.71%

Other Indo-European*

72

26.67%

Asian Language**

6

33.33%

Other Language

9

36.00%

Total

177

1.25%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.